Introduction
The title of my project is the effect of the type of citric fruit juice on dental erosion. I am researching which fruit juice is most acidic, and the which acidic fruit will cause the tooth enamel to wear down the fastest. What sparked my interest in this experiment is that my sister, Haley, once said that the reason lemons are so sour, is because they have acid in it’s juice. I knew from sixth grade science class, that acid rain can dissolve soft rocks, such as limestone. Acidic juice can also wear down someone’s teeth gradually. I also selected this topic because I saw many science projects about teeth online and from previous science projects, so I decided to do my own experiment on tooth enamel.
The independent variable is the type of acidic, citric fruit juice. This was chosen because citrus juice can wear down and soften your teeth. The dependent variable is the corrosion of teeth. This is the dependent variable because at first, my dependent variable was the corrosion of rocks. I chose rocks at first because rocks are easier to find. But since my experiment will help with someone’s teeth, and rocks are very different from teeth, then I changed this variable to the corrosion of teeth instead of rocks. The way I will measure this is to measure the weight of each tooth in grams, before putting them in the acidic juice, then after each week, I will measure the weight of each tooth again, then subtract that size from the original state to get how much the tooth corroded. The larger the number, the more acidic the juice is, and the more effective the citric juice is to the tooth enamel.
Acidic fruit juice erodes tooth enamel. Because of this, decreasing the amount of acidic food a person consumes will slow down the erosion of their teeth. Important words to the experiment are enamel, acid, citric acid, and dental erosion. Enamel is the thin outer layer of the tooth, and is the toughest tissue in the human body. Enamel is used to stand pressure when someone is chewing. Acid means sour in its Latin origin. Types of acid are determined by their properties. Citric acid is an organic acid, which gives citrus fruits the sour taste. Dental erosion is the disintegration of tooth structure from the effect of acid on teeth.
What substances can erode teeth? Soft drinks have a lot of citric and phosphoric acids that can erode teeth. Fruit drinks also contain acids, enough acids to erode your teeth. Diets that recommend the consumption of a lot of sugars can also contribute to tooth erosion. Acid reflux disease is also a factor. Acid reflux disease is when stomach acids go into your mouth, or throwing up, and happens often. Gastrointestinal problems include excessive vomiting, bloating, fullness, and constipation. Many bulimics have experienced gastrointestinal problems. The vomiting from gastrointestinal problems and the acid reflux disease are similar when it affects your teeth. Medicines, such as Aspirin, inherited genetics, and environmental factors, for example friction, stress, and wear and tear can cause dental erosion.
What is the structure of teeth? From the innermost part, there is the pulp. Pulp contains connective tissue, nerves, and blood vessels that nourish the tooth. Next is the dentin, which the tooth contains most of. Dentin is hard and yellow. Above the dentin is the enamel, which is transparent. Because the enamel is the hardest tissue in the body, it can withstand the pressure of chewing. Next is the camentim, which meets the enamel where the root ends and the crown of the tooth starts. Camentim is as hard as a bone. Finally, there is the periodontal ligament, which anchors the tooth in the alveolus, absorbs shock when chewing, and consists of small fibers.
Acids are specified by its properties. The Latin root word acidus, means sour. Citrus fruits are sour because they contain citric acids. Some different types of acids are phosphoric, citric, and lactic acid. During the research, some questions came up, such as, how does dental erosion happen? What is citric acid used for?
How does dental erosion happen? When acidic food or drink is eaten, your enamel softens. Then, the saliva restores the natural balance of acid in your mouth. But if the food or drink is very high in acid, then the saliva can’t repair the balance, resulting in dental erosion. What is citric acid used for? Citric acid is used to add flavor to soft drinks and medicine. People also use it in industry, such as for chemicals, ink, and alkyd resins.
There is an experiment similar to this topic. Natalie Proviano did a project titled, “The Effect of Acidity in a Liquid on the Rate of Tooth Demineralization.” Her project resulted with the Monster Drink having the most effect on the tooth, out of six other drinks. The tooth had a total of 36.9% weight change. The lowest amount of weight change in her experiment was with tap water, which the tooth had a 6.4% weight change. Though very similar, her experiment, “The Effect of Acidity in a Liquid on the Rate of Tooth Demineralization,” tested the type of liquid, whereas the project, “The Effect of Citric Acid on Dental Erosion,” is testing, to be specific, the type of citric acid. She proved that the liquid with the most acidity created the most demineralization for the tooth. Natalie’s hypothesis for this experiment shows that the fruit that is most acidic will cause the most dental decay. In Natalie's project, water had the least impact on the teeth. Therefore, that creates another prediction for this experiment; water will have the least amount of effect on tooth decay.
The independent variable is the type of acidic, citric fruit juice. This was chosen because citrus juice can wear down and soften your teeth. The dependent variable is the corrosion of teeth. This is the dependent variable because at first, my dependent variable was the corrosion of rocks. I chose rocks at first because rocks are easier to find. But since my experiment will help with someone’s teeth, and rocks are very different from teeth, then I changed this variable to the corrosion of teeth instead of rocks. The way I will measure this is to measure the weight of each tooth in grams, before putting them in the acidic juice, then after each week, I will measure the weight of each tooth again, then subtract that size from the original state to get how much the tooth corroded. The larger the number, the more acidic the juice is, and the more effective the citric juice is to the tooth enamel.
Acidic fruit juice erodes tooth enamel. Because of this, decreasing the amount of acidic food a person consumes will slow down the erosion of their teeth. Important words to the experiment are enamel, acid, citric acid, and dental erosion. Enamel is the thin outer layer of the tooth, and is the toughest tissue in the human body. Enamel is used to stand pressure when someone is chewing. Acid means sour in its Latin origin. Types of acid are determined by their properties. Citric acid is an organic acid, which gives citrus fruits the sour taste. Dental erosion is the disintegration of tooth structure from the effect of acid on teeth.
What substances can erode teeth? Soft drinks have a lot of citric and phosphoric acids that can erode teeth. Fruit drinks also contain acids, enough acids to erode your teeth. Diets that recommend the consumption of a lot of sugars can also contribute to tooth erosion. Acid reflux disease is also a factor. Acid reflux disease is when stomach acids go into your mouth, or throwing up, and happens often. Gastrointestinal problems include excessive vomiting, bloating, fullness, and constipation. Many bulimics have experienced gastrointestinal problems. The vomiting from gastrointestinal problems and the acid reflux disease are similar when it affects your teeth. Medicines, such as Aspirin, inherited genetics, and environmental factors, for example friction, stress, and wear and tear can cause dental erosion.
What is the structure of teeth? From the innermost part, there is the pulp. Pulp contains connective tissue, nerves, and blood vessels that nourish the tooth. Next is the dentin, which the tooth contains most of. Dentin is hard and yellow. Above the dentin is the enamel, which is transparent. Because the enamel is the hardest tissue in the body, it can withstand the pressure of chewing. Next is the camentim, which meets the enamel where the root ends and the crown of the tooth starts. Camentim is as hard as a bone. Finally, there is the periodontal ligament, which anchors the tooth in the alveolus, absorbs shock when chewing, and consists of small fibers.
Acids are specified by its properties. The Latin root word acidus, means sour. Citrus fruits are sour because they contain citric acids. Some different types of acids are phosphoric, citric, and lactic acid. During the research, some questions came up, such as, how does dental erosion happen? What is citric acid used for?
How does dental erosion happen? When acidic food or drink is eaten, your enamel softens. Then, the saliva restores the natural balance of acid in your mouth. But if the food or drink is very high in acid, then the saliva can’t repair the balance, resulting in dental erosion. What is citric acid used for? Citric acid is used to add flavor to soft drinks and medicine. People also use it in industry, such as for chemicals, ink, and alkyd resins.
There is an experiment similar to this topic. Natalie Proviano did a project titled, “The Effect of Acidity in a Liquid on the Rate of Tooth Demineralization.” Her project resulted with the Monster Drink having the most effect on the tooth, out of six other drinks. The tooth had a total of 36.9% weight change. The lowest amount of weight change in her experiment was with tap water, which the tooth had a 6.4% weight change. Though very similar, her experiment, “The Effect of Acidity in a Liquid on the Rate of Tooth Demineralization,” tested the type of liquid, whereas the project, “The Effect of Citric Acid on Dental Erosion,” is testing, to be specific, the type of citric acid. She proved that the liquid with the most acidity created the most demineralization for the tooth. Natalie’s hypothesis for this experiment shows that the fruit that is most acidic will cause the most dental decay. In Natalie's project, water had the least impact on the teeth. Therefore, that creates another prediction for this experiment; water will have the least amount of effect on tooth decay.